Chapters:

1. Ninety Miles an Hour

The susurration of the door was loud in the silent hallway, and he grimaced as it slid closed behind him. He crept toward the darkened community center, hoping anyone who was still up had better things to do than listen for passersby. Lights-out in the student wing had been more than an hour ago, and if he were caught breaking curfew there would be no end of uncomfortable questions.

The doors to the center had been locked open when the students left for the night, which was fortunate considering they made even more noise than the door to his room. The community center itself was soundproof, which didn't do him any good with the doors wide open, but he made it into the diver bay without attracting any unwanted attention.

He passed over the crew divers in favor of one of the anonymous community transports, knowing the crew markings could catch eyes that were better left uncaught. In the regular vehicle, though, he blended in with the dozen other divers flitting about the southern tip of Coralside. He slid out of the sparse traffic pattern and into an approach on the garden dome, docking the little diver in an empty berth not far from the door.

She was waiting in the shadows when he strolled out of the bay, pretending to adjust some control or other on the environmental panels. Her status as a Ranger gave her access to that sort of thing, but as soon as she caught sight of him she turned away from the system as though it were nothing more than a distraction from the wait.

He felt a smile tug at his lips at the sight of her. She seldom wore her Ranger uniform when she was working with the student crew, but the times he saw her in something other than crew coveralls were few and far between. What she wore now was nothing fancy, but she made even casual clothes look elegant. "You look beautiful," he murmured, holding out his hand to her.

A smile lit her face in return as she came toward him, and she lifted her own hand to press her palm to his. Her fingers slid in between his and he knew he had just been kissed in welcome. "Shall we go?"

"I'll race you," he offered with a grin.

Her fingers tightened on his, and that was all the warning he had before she pulled her hand free and took off. He gave chase, but he knew from experience that she was the faster of them. It was unfair, he thought, that she would be faster in the water and on land too. But she had a clear interest in letting him catch her, and before long she had slowed enough for him to overtake her.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and she laughed as they tumbled to the ground. It was a sound he didn't hear often enough, and he grinned down at her as he struggled to catch his breath. "You're such a cheat," he scolded. Knowing that she didn't *have* to cheat only made it more exasperating.

"I know," she agreed unrepentantly, breathless only from the laughter. The race hadn't affected her in the slightest. "But you run so slowly!"

"Slowly?" he repeated, feigning indignance. "I'll show you slow!" He covered her mouth with his, kissing her with all the heat of the run and the fire of repressed passion behind it. It wasn't her custom, but as he was learning to hold hands so she was learning to kiss.

"Slow can be good," she breathed, when finally he let her go. With a quick twist and the strength it was so easy to forget she possessed, she had rolled him onto his back. There was a look in her grey eyes that made him catch his breath, but she only lay down on his other side, her head resting on his chest. "I do not discriminate on the basis of speed."

"Good thing," he murmured, breathing shallower with her lying so close. He let her capture his right hand, and felt her tracing the outlines of his fingers as idly as though it meant absolutely nothing. He stared up at the sky, trying to ignore the tingling sensation that was spreading so rapidly across his skin. "The light is amazing tonight."

"I miss the stars," she admitted, following his gaze but not abandoning her caresses. "I wonder sometimes what it would be like to sleep underneath them outside."

"A little like this," he told her. Her fingers trailed across his palm and he felt his hand twitch. He wondered if he had made a mistake by telling her that the feeling of her hand on his didn't excite him, that where he came from it was no more than a gesture of friendship. At the time it had been true, but either she was getting better or he was getting more attuned to it, because he could feel a vague sense of restlessness growing inside him.

"No," she said skeptically. "Surely not. The stars do not move nearly so much."

"Not always," he agreed, watching the shifting patterns of phosphorescence play above the dome. He tried not to be disappointed when her fingers stilled to allow her more complete contemplation of the "sky". "But sometimes... this is kind of like a meteor shower. Only slower."

He could almost see her smile at the "slower" addendum, but all she said was, "You should see it in the springtime."

He knew without asking that the bioluminescence peaked in the spring, and would probably appear to move much faster than it did now. "I'd like to," he said quietly. Unspoken were the words, "if the crew doesn't graduate first," but there was no need to add that to an already solemn conversation.

"You will," she said firmly. "It is possibly the most beautiful sight in the world. I will not have you miss it."

He chuckled at her determination. If there were anyone who could keep the project going long enough for him to see springtime on Aquitar, it would be her. But he really didn't want to think about the long-term right now. "It can't be *the* most beautiful sight," he pointed out.

He felt her stir, lifting her head off his chest and propping herself up on one elbow. "You can think of something else?" she asked. He couldn't read her tone of voice at all, and he knew she was onto him.

He rolled over on his side and sat halfway up, smiling at her. "Of course." He reached out and ran a hand through her hair, brushing the spill of soft darkness away from her face. "You," he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her gently.

It startled him to feel her respond a little, leaning into him and letting her mouth open without prodding. Her earlier teasing must have affected him more than he realized, for at the slightest sign of a reaction he couldn't help himself. He pushed her backwards and moved in, pressing his lips hungrily against hers and feeling sensation ignite up and down his body.

She didn't resist, but he knew what was happening and he forced himself to draw back a little. "I'm sorry," he gasped, searching her expression. There was sympathy in her wide-eyed look, and he wondered what kind of longing she could read in his eyes. "I know we promised--"

"It's all right," she whispered. "You have not broken that promise."

But he had come closer than she realized. "Maybe we should..."

"Ignore it," she suggested softly. "I do not wish to leave you; not yet. Please, let us not separate so soon."

"I don't want to leave you either," he admitted, trying to catch his breath without seeming to do so. "But I don't know if I can--ignore it."

"I have faith," she said, and he tried not to sigh. She knew that would get him, every time. "We have never yet violated our agreement. I do not worry that we will do so tonight."

*I wish I didn't worry,* he thought, and from the way her lips quirked he knew she had heard. *Now that was uncalled for,* he told her, trying not to smile. *What are you doing sneaking around in my mind?*

*Listening for what you will not say,* she replied promptly, snuggling closer to him in the grass. Her voice was warm and comforting, and so close to his own thoughts that he couldn't help smiling contentedly. That was the way it was meant to be... no barriers.

*No barriers,* she agreed, reaching up to run her fingers across his face. *Someday they will all be truly gone.*

His lips parted as her fingers slide across them, and she hesitated when he kissed them softly. He kissed her fingers again when she didn't object, letting his tongue trail lightly across her skin until he could kiss her palm. He felt her tremble, making him acutely aware of how tight her body was to his--and how good it felt to be that close.

They had assumed they were safe. No matter how attracted they were to each other, after all, their customs were simply too different. They were of different worlds, and nothing would ever change that. They had agreed to be good friends, to talk to each other about anything... and when they had first met after curfew they had done it under the guise of friendship.

There was never enough time in the day to tell each other everything they wanted to say, after all. It seemed only natural to meet when they were supposed to be sleeping, for everyone could do with a few less hours of sleep--especially when it meant time for conversations they couldn't have in public.

That had become their second justification for the illicit meetings. It was too hard to get away without raising suspicions during the day, whether there was anything going on or not. And there wasn't... or at least, there hadn't been. But they had started to save personal comments for the nighttime, when they knew they could be alone and have the freedom to say anything they wanted without the entire crew overhearing.

After a while it had seemed natural to talk about relationships, and what kind of person they were looking for. He had said that his girlfriend would have to be a good kisser, and that of course required an explanation. The explanation had turned into a demonstration, which had required a reciprocal demonstration on her part. Both had seemed harmless enough, considering their different backgrounds.

They had even fallen into the habit of exchanging the occasional hand gesture or kiss, at first as a joke and then later as a comfortable reminder of their friendship. He honestly wasn't sure when he had begun responding to the exchanges as something more; it could have been as late as tonight or as early as the first time. And he had never thought to ask how she felt about it. The closest they had ever come to a discussion of the matter had been a promise to never force their own customs on each other.

Now he was lying with her in the grass of the garden dome, long past curfew, kissing her hands and consciously reminding himself to breathe as she ran her fingers across his chest. He couldn't hold together a coherent train of thought to save his life, and all he could hope was that nothing was going to come along and ruin this perfect moment.

He was in much, much deeper than he had realized. That was the one thing that was clear in his mind right now, the single thought that was more overwhelming than her breath on his face, her silver gaze fixed on his, even than her hands on his body. Or maybe not quite... for if that were the case he thought he ought to have been able to concentrate on something other than the burning desire to have her *closer*.

As though she knew what he was thinking--and she did, sometimes--she pulled away. He could do nothing but let her go, wishing helplessly that she wouldn't. Somehow they were affecting each other, despite different practices, despite different ideas of pleasure, despite *everything*... he wanted her. And he wanted her just the way she was.

"This is not what it started out as," she said breathlessly, her gaze still locked with his. For once she was breathing as hard as he was, and he took some comfort in that.

"No," he agreed, startled by how weak his voice sounded. But when she looked at him like that... "No," he repeated, more firmly. "I suppose it isn't."

She searched his expression, her oddly expressive eyes seeking something he had no word for in his own. "And yet... you do not seem--troubled."

"No," he admitted, his voice going soft again. "I'm not... troubled. Are you?"

She frowned a little, seeming to consider her answer. "You know we should be," she said at last.

He stifled a wry smile. "We should have been troubled long before this, if that's all you mean. The rules were against any unsupervised contact at all with you guys and we've pretty much ignored that from day one."

"But before it was only unsupervised contact," she said. "Now it could be... abuse of authority."

He really tried not to laugh, because he knew how seriously she took things like honor and duty. She was a Ranger, one of the most respected people on her planet, and he was only a minor on temporary student exchange from his homeworld--but he had thought them long past letting that stand in the way. "Are you abusing your authority?" he asked, straight-out.

"Of course not." She gave him an offended look that suddenly turned uncertain. "Am I?"

He shook his head wordlessly, knowing she had just handed him the perfect opportunity. He just had to figure out everything he felt, everything she might feel, and what they could actually do about it in the space of two or three seconds, and then fit it all into a coherent sort of sentence. No problem.

In the end, it turned out to be much easier than he had thought. "I love you," he blurted out, before he could think too much about the consequences of saying it aloud.

She stared at him.

"Okay," he said a few seconds later, fighting down a wave of nervousness. "Remember how we talked about when it was good to answer right away and when it wasn't? This is definitely one of the times when I think a quick answer would be really good."

"I... am surprised," she said, clearly speaking only to fulfill his request. "I do not know quite what to say--I did not expect to hear that from you..."

When she trailed off again, he nodded in an effort to keep himself together. "Okay. Okay, right. That wasn't a good thing to say. I'll definitely try to keep that out of future conversations--"

"I love you," she interrupted, and it was his turn to be speechless.

Gazing at her, he tried to achieve some level of comprehension. It turned out to be a futile effort, and he found himself asking that most obvious of all questions: "Really?"

"Yes." She wore a small smile for his surprise. "I did not know it earlier, but when you said it I realized those were the words I had been searching for. Thank you."

"Wow." For several seconds, he couldn't think of anything better to say. "Do you... are you sure?"

She giggled at his expression, which had to be nothing short of incredulous. "I do not say things I am not sure of," she answered gently. "But I would not have been able to say it first."

"Honor," he whispered, understanding her position. No matter how well they knew each other, he still wasn't an adult by his world's standards, and her government abided by that. To speak first was to bring some kind of pressure to bear, no matter how benign one's intentions, and that was something she couldn't and wouldn't do. Just in case, she would tell him.

"Just in case," she murmured, and he smiled at the echo of his thoughts. "You see, don't you?"

"Yes," he breathed, feeling his smile widen. "I just can't believe it."

"I love you," she repeated, almost to herself. "It is strange to say it aloud."

"I like it," he said impulsively, leaning forward to kiss her. His lips just brushed hers and his heart was already racing so fast that being that close couldn't make it any worse. "I love you too. I'm just going to keep saying that until you get so sick of hearing it..."

"I will not," she whispered, gazing at him as he pulled away. "It pleases me more than I would ever have imagined."

"You please me," he whispered back, and he was rewarded by her smile. He wanted to ask what this meant, but he didn't dare. They could never have a normal relationship until he graduated, and as soon as he did he would be leaving Aquitar for Earth. How much did "I love you" mean in a situation like theirs?

"It means what it always means," she said softly, twisting to lie against him again. She stared down at his hand as she played with his fingers, not apologizing for her mental intrusion. "It means 'unconditional'."

He considered that for a moment, ignoring her skin on his as best he could. "Unconditional" was a beautiful word, and he knew he couldn't help how *he* felt... but did it mean the same thing to both of them?

She sighed a little, sounding unhappy for the first time tonight. "Must everything mean something? Can it not simply be what it is?"

*I guess it can't be anything else,* he thought involuntarily, and he felt her giggle quietly. *You've got to stop doing that,* he added, amused. *I'm not going to have any privacy around you.*

*I can not help it,* she admitted, straightening his fingers and laying her palm flat against his. He caught his breath, pressing his hand against hers and feeling her respond in kind, until he could feel her heartbeat through her fingers.

He was so caught up in the sensation that he didn't realize anything was wrong until she stiffened. "What?" he murmured, startled when she jerked away from him and climbed awkwardly to her feet.

Then he heard it: the whisper of footsteps in the grass that sent him scrambling to his feet as quickly as her. The leader of her Ranger team regarded them impassively, waiting without a word to see if they would offer an explanation.

But there was nothing either of them could say, and they knew it. He stood beside her instinctively, knowing that to turn and leave now wouldn't help anything. The other Ranger studied him a moment longer before turning her attention back to her teammate.

"I will not be able to protect you if this becomes known." The words were curiously free of judgement; a fact had been stated and nothing more.

Her voice was proud and determined when she replied, "I do not ask anyone to protect me. I accept the consequences of my actions."

He swallowed. They had never discussed "consequences". Until tonight, he doubted either of them had believed in the seriousness of what they were doing. Until they had said the "L" word, they had been able to pretend that they were just friends breaking curfew together--not two people having an illicit student-teacher affair.

He knew now that it would likely have been interpreted that way even in the beginning. They had only been fooling themselves that nothing would come of it if they were discovered, but it had been an illusion that they both wanted to believe in. It was an illusion he wished he could *still* believe in.

The other Ranger nodded once. "Perhaps next time you will remember to make sure you are alone."

Then she was gone, and he stared after the retreating white-clad figure. "Did she just..." He couldn't finish.

"Give her approval?" Her whisper was equally disbelieving, and they exchanged wide-eyed glances.

"At least--not her *disapproval*," he offered doubtfully.

"We should go," she murmured, glancing in the direction her teammate had gone. "She is not one to walk alone."

He sighed, moving a little closer to her. "There's so much I wanted to say..."

She didn't look at him. "I should run some maintenance sweeps," she said quietly. "The teleportation lockdown on the student crew quarters has been somewhat erratic of late."

He drew back, surprised at her rebuff--until the meaning of her words sank in. "Really," he mused. "That's too bad."

"Indeed," she agreed, still not looking at him. "I have sometimes wondered if it should be tested personally."

"I think it should," he said solemnly. "That's a serious security issue."

"Do you think so?" she asked, lifting her gaze to search his.

He reached out to stroke her cheek, brushing her tousled hair back over her shoulder and then tracing the curve of her jaw back around to her mouth. "I know so," he whispered, smiling at her enchanted look.

She smiled back, reaching up to cover his hand with hers. "Then I will see to it immediately."

He twisted his hand around to wind his fingers through hers. "I'll be waiting," he promised, squeezing her fingers gently.

The flash of red was bright in his darkened room, and he blinked in a futile effort to clear his temporary blindness. He felt the bed shift as she sat down beside him, catching his hands in hers and twining their fingers together. He pulled her toward him instinctively and felt her lips on his before he was even aware of what was happening.

He hadn't been sure what to expect, but obviously talk was the last thing on her mind. He surrendered willingly to her insistent caress, eager to know more than what they had been able to convey with mere words. As she fell into his arms, it occurred to him that he had forgotten to lock his door... but the thought didn't last long, and soon neither of them cared.

2. The Edge of Goodbye

"Good morning Vietnam!" a voice shouted, inexplicably cheerful and far too clear to be insulated by the door. "This is the Pigmy House Call, coming to--whoa!"

There was a muffled exclamation as someone else apparently stumbled into the "house caller", and he heard someone swear. The noise was an unwelcome distraction from the peaceful bliss of sleep, and he groaned tiredly as he tried to roll away from the source of the commotion.

Wide silver eyes stared into his own, and comprehension crashed home.

"Oh, hell," he whispered fervently.

The open door let him hear the morning bickering without muffling. As the rest of the self-appointed "house callers" pounded on doors and burst into unlocked rooms, dragging the crew out of bed and dodging threats of death or worse, the silence of his own room became an unnatural counterpoint to the good-natured chaos that typified early morning in the crew quarters.

Aura moved first, sitting up without a word and pulling her short-sleeved shirt on over her head. Her complete lack of modesty startled Carlos into action, and he scrambled out of bed half-dressed. "Everyone get out," he ordered, glaring at his crewmates. "Now!"

Yarrow and Seth glanced at each other, then back at him. "Uh, Carlos?" Yarrow said, her usual buoyancy abruptly subdued. "This isn't--"

"Get *out*," he growled, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop what would inevitably happen now. All he could do was buy them a few extra seconds of privacy, and whatever it took, he was going to make sure they had those short moments.

"Right," Seth agreed, backing toward the door. Before he could reach it, however, a pillow impacted against the doorway and maniacal laughter heralded Kelly's arrival.

"Missed me!" she shrieked, taking cover inside the doorway as she leaned out into the hallway to taunt the pillow-thrower. "You suck; you can't even hit a girl!"

Rob appeared in the doorway, towered over her diminutive figure. "Who sucks?" he asked, a dangerous expression on his face.

"Get out of my room!" Carlos shouted.

"Chill, Carlos," Kelly chided, ducking behind Seth as Rob glowered at her. "We're just having a..." She whirled when Seth stepped out of the way, and her eyes widened as she caught sight of their Ranger supervisor pulling her hair into its customary ponytail on the bed behind Carlos. "Bloody--! What's going on in here?!"

"We're just having a little fun," Seth said firmly, shoving her unceremoniously toward the door. "Now move."

"Yeah, move," Rob echoed, a leering grin on his face as he folded his arms and waited for her to be ejected into the hallway. He might not have noticed Aura for all he reacted to the scene inside Carlos' room.

Kelly ducked half-heartedly as she stepped through the doorway, but she was still looking over her shoulder and Rob's second swing with the pillow connected solidly with her head. Her stifled yelp of protest was lost as Seth and Yarrow followed her out and the accumulating crew in the hallway was cut off by the closing of the doors.

"Man, Aura," he said helplessly, turning back toward her. "I'm so sorry; I never meant for any of this to happen. I should have thought, last night--"

"This is no fault of yours," she interrupted. Her tone was curt as she pulled her soft-soled boots on over her bare feet. "I am entirely to blame in this situation, but I fear you will not be spared the repercussions. I am sorry for that; and if there is any way to change it I will do so."

He stared at her, trying to read anything of her feelings through the impassive sound of her voice and the hard set of her shoulders. She stamped her feet into her boots and climbed to her feet, avoiding his gaze as she swung her vest over her shoulders. "I must go," she said, flipping her ponytail out from under her vest before she tugged it closed. "We will likely not see each other again after this."

"What?" he demanded, cold fear gripping his heart as he realized she was preparing to leave without another word. "Aura, what are you talking about? What's going on?"

She lifted her gaze to his at last, but her eyes were guarded, uncaring. "You knew this would happen," she said dispassionately. The words were accusing even if her tone was not. "There is no way to avoid the inquiry that will now follow. You will be summoned before the ambassadorial board, where they will decide whether or not you will be invited to leave. I will do everything in my power to prevent that, but my word will mean little in this instance. I will no doubt be stripped of my Ranger status before the board can be assembled."

"That isn't what I meant," he objected, forcing the words out past the lump in his throat. "I meant you--what's..." He swallowed the words what's wrong? before he could make a total fool of himself. "God, I'm so sorry," he repeated, knowing how useless his words were now.

She tilted her head, giving him a curious look. Shadowed though it was, it almost made him smile. How many times had she looked at him like that, eyes twinkling with fond tolerance or amusement at his "alien" ways?

"This is no fault of yours," she said again. She spoke more slowly, as though he had simply not understood the first time. "My actions are inexcusable, and I regret their effect on you far more than you can know."

"Whoa, wait," he interjected, frowning at her. "This was my choice as much as yours. It's my fault too, and I won't let you pretend it isn't."

She shook her head, shooting a fierce look at the floor. She didn't answer, but suddenly he knew that expression. She was furious with herself, and she was trying not to show it.

"Aura--" He had begun before he could stop himself, but he knew even as he spoke that this might be the thing that turned her barely contained anger onto him. "I love you."

He shouldn't say it when she was so obviously regretting everything about the night before, but he had to. He had fallen for her without even realizing it, and if he never saw her again he would hate himself for not telling her now. "I love you, and I don't want to lose you now, but if I have to then that's the way it is."

He ignored the meaning of his words, just trying to get them out so she would know he forgave her for not loving him back. "I'm so glad that I could be your friend all these months, and I hate that I had to ruin it with what I said last night. I shouldn't have told you how I felt, and if I could change it I would--"

"No," she said, cutting him off with a single word. It was a moment before he realized that she was now staring at him, and it took even longer before he noticed his vision was blurred by tears. "I would not. Did you--what are you saying, Carlos?"

He swallowed, trying to take a deep breath and feeling it catch in his throat. "I'm saying... I'm sorry," he managed, stopping when he heard his voice tremble.

"No," she repeated slowly. "You are saying you love me."

"You know that," he muttered, trying to glare his tears away and failing.

"I knew that last night," she corrected. "I did not believe it this morning."

The admission made him swallow again, and as he blinked he realized that the inscrutability had gone from her expression. Her silver eyes were unshuttered and vulnerable, and she stared back at him with a miserable gaze that probably mirrored his own. Despite the hopelessness that filled the air, he felt a rush of euphoria at her whispered, "I love you."

He closed his eyes, caught between joy and despair. "What are we going to do?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

She had one anyway. "The only thing we can do," she murmured, and he felt her fingers brush his. He caught her hand in his instantly, squeezing it hard as he opened his eyes to look at her. "Have faith," she finished softly.

He sighed, forcing himself to smile as he searched her expression. "You and your faith," he complained, half-serious. "There's no way this can work out."

"Everything works out," she answered. "Just not always the way we wish it would."

He shook his head, half-exasperated and half-amused by such a typical response. "If it doesn't work out the way we want it to, what's the difference?"

"This," she said, leaning forward to kiss him gently.

She drew back almost before he realized what she had done, but he knew somehow that he would remember that moment for a long time to come. "Do you really think that will make a difference?" he whispered, wanting to hear her say yes.

"It has to," she said simply. "What else is there?"

They stood in silence for another long moment, taking comfort from each other's presence. He refused to think that this was the last time they would ever be alone together, but he couldn't help wincing as she drew in a breath. "The longer I stay, the more complicated matters become," she said at last.

He sighed again, squeezing her fingers one last time. "I know," he admitted, feeling her hand slide out of his. "I... I'm sorry, Aura."

"As am I," she said softly. "But only for what cannot happen now. Not for anything that already has."

He didn't have to force a smile this time, and he saw answering affection on her face. "Same here," he said, watching her reach for her wrist. He stared at the place where she had been for some time after that, and the green afterglow that remained imprinted on his vision after she teleported slowly faded into nothing.

Conversation began to taper off as soon as he walked into the rec area, and by the time he set his tray down at the mess table the rest of the crew had fallen completely silent. He sat down in his usual place without a word, stabbing at his food with unnecessary vehemence. He really didn't want anything to eat, but if he didn't put in an appearance the rumors would only get worse, and staring at his food was the best alternative he could come up with to watching everyone else stare at him.

At the other end of the table, the crew supervisor picked up his tray and got to his feet. No one said anything as he walked around the table and tossed an electronic card down in front of Carlos. Carlos didn't move, and the super offered, "Sorry, kid."

When Carlos still didn't answer he moved off, returning his tray and pausing in the doorway on his way out. "Everyone else, workbay at seven and a half. Don't be late."

Carlos stared at the card as their super vanished from the rec area, dreading what he would see on it. But he couldn't just ignore it... He heard Aura again, telling him to have faith, and he reached reluctantly for the little device.

It responded when he tapped the touchpad in the lower corner, and a brief summons appeared on the left half of the card readout. He just gazed at it, not knowing how to react. Yesterday everything had been fine, and today... this couldn't be happening.

"Busted?" Seth asked neutrally, his voice low.

Carlos nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"It wasn't us," Yarrow said at last, when the silence grew heavy and still he didn't say anything. "We didn't tell Mark anything until one of the Rangers showed up and handed him that."

That was more than he would have asked, had he given it any thought. He did wonder how the summons had appeared, if not thanks to any of the crew, but he couldn't bring himself to wonder for long. The reality of a review was finally settling in, and he knew the odds of him being able to stay after this were vanishingly small. And even if he were allowed to stay, Aura had probably been right when she said they wouldn't see each other. She would, at the very least, be reassigned.

He pushed his tray away, watching it slide over the card and hide it from sight. The way their relationship should have been. He had *known* someone would burst in if he left the door unlocked, but he hadn't expected to fall asleep... if she lost her Power over this, he doubted he would ever forgive himself.

"Thanks," he muttered at last, letting his gaze meet Yarrow's briefly before he got to his feet. The last thing he wanted was to talk, but he knew that wasn't enough. "I'm sorry, for all this. Whatever happens... I hope it won't reflect badly on the rest of the crew."

"Hey, man." Seth's words stopped him just as he was about to turn away. "If it's none of my business, just tell me, but--why?"

Carlos hesitated, but there was only one answer to that question. "Because I'm in love with her."

No one said anything else as he turned to walk away, and he was allowed to leave without further questioning. He made his way to the lift and rode it up three levels, more aware than ever of the alien hum of generators and the bioluminescent glow that lit the dome. These were the things that had entranced him when he first arrived, but their novelty had worn off as the weeks went by. Now, faced with the possibility of imminent departure, they seemed fascinatingly alien all over again.

The door to the chamber he had been instructed to report to stood open, but it was the transparency at the end of the hall that caught his eye. He wandered over to the window, looking out at the sealanes that connected every dome in the city. He couldn't help remembering the "driving lessons" they had all been given when they first arrived. It had been an entertaining couple of afternoons, made more so--for him at least--by the fact that Aura was out there "coaching" them while they struggled to master the diver controls.

In fact, he remembered with a smile, what she had actually been doing was running rings around them. And probably laughing while she did it, too. The comm would periodically come alive with her sometimes-helpful instructions, and they would do their best to keep up without running into each other in the process.

His smile faded as he wondered if he would ever have the opportunity to put those lessons to use again. Getting chosen for Aquitian exchange was quite possibly the best thing that had ever happened to him, and now he had to face the fact that the best part of the experience would be what brought it to an end.

She wasn't there when he finally entered the room, but three of her teammates were--including the one who had stumbled over them the night before. *Not her,* he thought, considering the leader of the Aquitian Rangers. *She wouldn't have turned us in after last night... would she?*

"Carlos Vargas," someone announced, and he looked up in time to see the ambassador from Earth rise.

No response seemed to be required, so he stayed silent.

"Have a seat," the ambassador added, gesturing him forward. The Aquitian liaison was there as well, and they both waited for him to have a seat across the table from them at the front of the room.

The ambassador didn't waste any time. "Do you know why you're here, Carlos?"

He tried not to grimace at the woman's condescending tone. "I have a pretty good idea, yeah."

"Why don't you tell us?" she invited.

Avoiding her gaze, he muttered, "I'd rather not."

She sighed, but it was a token sigh, as though she had expected that response and she wanted him to know it. "Then I'll explain it to you. It has been suggested by reliable sources that you, Carlos, have been exercising poor judgement lately."

He tried to keep a straight face, he really did. But finally he had to look away in a futile attempt to conceal a mocking smile. She saw it anyway, of course, and her tone was unamused as she asked, "Something funny?"

"Is that what it's called now?" he asked, before he could stop himself. He knew he shouldn't antagonize her, but this whole thing had been set up from the start. He and Aura had been turned in--though by whom he still wasn't sure--and he could tell from her tone that his fate had already been decided. It wasn't fair. "It's poor judgement to make friends? To learn more about a culture we were sent here to experience?"

Her tone was distinctly chilly when she replied, "Experiencing the culture and fraternizing with the locals are entirely different things, Mr. Vargas."

Carlos grimaced, not missing the sudden change in his appellation. He cocked his head and leaned forward, unaware of the Aquitian mannerism until after he had done it. "'To fraternize,'" he quoted anyway. "'To act in a brotherly manner, to befriend.' So sue me; I'm guilty."

"You have two choices, Mr. Vargas," she informed him, ignoring his sarcasm. "Seidon and I have already decided, for various reasons, that you would be better off back on Earth. You may accept this judgement, or you may ask for a review--but I must warn you, the chances that the decision will be changed are... slim, at best."

"Democracy in action," he muttered under his breath. "That's what I love about the system."

"You are a minor, Mr. Vargas," she reminded him sharply. "Your parents have entrusted you to our care, and as such, we are ultimately responsible for anything that happens to you. Our decision is based on what we believe to be in your best interests. You are of course free to challenge it."

Carlos snorted. "After you've already told me I won't convince you to change it?"

She didn't answer, and he shrugged. "Fine," he told her. "I want a review." It might not change anything, but there was no way he was going without a fight.

The review didn't take long. He did find some small amount of satisfaction in forcing the ambassador to disrupt both crew and Ranger schedules to make it happen, but other than that the event was a waste of time. Yarrow and Rob both testified in his favor, somewhat to his surprise--neither mentioned nor was questioned about the incident that morning, which further convinced him that it hadn't been one of the crew that reported him.

Cetaci refused to speak on his behalf, on the grounds that she didn't know enough about him to comment, but she also refused to speak against him or her teammate. In fact, she denied knowledge of relations between her teammate and any of the crew, which startled him more than his crewmates' silence. While theirs were lies of omission, Cetaci's was a blatantly untrue statement.

Then Aura arrived. He caught his breath, biting his lip to keep the ambassador from noticing. She looked untouchable in her Ranger uniform, protected--or hidden--behind the Aquitian expression of impassivity. He did take some comfort in seeing that uniform for it meant that, so far at least, her status was intact--but it was so different from the carefree girl he had raced through the garden dome the night before...

He couldn't help the flood of memories that surged into his mind at the sight of her, but he hid it as best he could. He even tried not to glare at the ambassador when she asked Aura exactly what her relationship with him was, though he wasn't sure he succeeded.

"Carlos is a gifted person and an excellent student," Aura replied, staring straight ahead. "Nothing else I can say is relevant to this gathering."

"So there is more you can say?" the ambassador pressed, and Carlos gritted his teeth.

Aura only cocked her head, glancing curiously at the ambassador from Earth. "There are things I could say about everyone in this room--including yourself, Madam Ambassador. But I do not mention them, because they are not relevant."

Her tone was that of someone explaining something to a particularly obtuse child, and it was enough to silence the other woman. Not enough to change her mind, but at least she backed down momentarily--long enough for Aura to stand again and excuse herself.

He tried not to watch her go, but he couldn't help shooting a quick glance after her as she reached the door. He saw her twist her head slightly as she turned down the hallway, looking back once just before she vanished from sight. Her guard was down again and her despair came through clearly in that last gaze, bringing tears to his own eyes no matter how he fought to suppress them.

The next divertable transport wouldn't arrive until that evening, so he was given the day to pack. Every single member of the crew found occasion to stop by that afternoon, some of them before they were supposed to be free. He hated to think that they might get into trouble on his account, but he supposed it was too late to worry about that.

Even Mark, their human super, came by. "To wish you well", he said at first, but finally he admitted that he had tried everything he could think of to get Carlos permission to stay. "It sucks, kid," he said, "but someone really wants you out of here. I don't know who turned you in--hell, I didn't even know anything was going on--but they made sure you wouldn't just get your wrist slapped. You were going to be sent home even before the review."

"I know," Carlos muttered. "Our wonderful 'ambassador' made that very clear to me."

"It's amazing the woman ever got into diplomacy," the super agreed. "But you're a good kid, Carlos. If you ever need anything, you let me know, all right?"

"Yeah," Carlos agreed, trying to smile. "Thanks, man."

"Hey--" Mark clapped him on the shoulder. "I mean it. A recommendation, a friend, or a place to crash; you've got it."

"Thanks," Carlos repeated. "I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, well, I don't like seeing my students treated unfairly. Something fishy happened here--if you'll forgive the pun--and if I ever figure out what it was I'm going to make sure you know about it. Take care of yourself, Carlos."

*Fishy,* Carlos thought later, as he yanked his duffel bag shut. He would never be able to hear the Aquitian fish jokes again without remembering the feel of Aura's lips on his. The Aquitians were as much mammals as he was, and about as warm-blooded as they came...

Another quiet knock on his door interrupted that memory, and he sighed. He thought he had already spoken to everyone in the crew quarters; he couldn't imagine who else could be out there. "Come in," he called half-heartedly, turning to see who it was.

The Yellow Ranger stepped through the door. "Cestria," he said, startled. "I--" He remembered suddenly to press his fingertips together in the traditional Aquitian greeting. "Good afternoon."

She returned the greeting with a nod. "I fear it is not a good afternoon, and it shows little sign of improvement," she said with a small sigh. "But I appreciate the sentiment."

"I'm sorry," he offered quietly, not knowing why he was telling her. He barely knew her, but Aura always spoke well of her, and she seemed to radiate a friendliness that made him trust her without needing to understand it. "I never meant for this to happen--the last thing I wanted was for her to get into trouble."

Cestria smiled, just a little. "Aura finds trouble, even where others see none. It is an endearing but sometimes difficult trait to live with."

"I wouldn't have minded trying," he said softly, not meaning her to hear but unable to keep the words to himself.

"No," Cestria agreed. "Aura believes that as well, and it was her unyielding faith in you that caused Cetaci to mislead your ambassador at the review this morning."

Carlos tried not to grimace. "For all the good it did. Do you think you could you tell her thank you from me? I really appreciated that, but I couldn't exactly say anything at the time."

"Of course," Cestria said, studying him. "In fact, that was my purpose in seeking you out--to inquire about any messages you might wish to have delivered."

His gaze snapped back to her, hearing what she meant instead of what she said. "You'd do that?"

"She is my teammate," Cestria said simply.

He swallowed, asking the question he had been afraid to until now. "What--what's going to happen, after I leave?"

"She has already been reassigned," Cestria told him.

He waited, but she said nothing more. "That's it? She thought--she was worried she might have to leave the team."

Cestria looked almost amused at that idea. "Cetaci will resign herself before allowing that to happen, and the rest of us are no less committed. If the government wishes to recruit an entirely new team of Rangers, without our support or assistance, then they may ask Aura to leave. Otherwise, the existing team remains."

He couldn't help remembering the White Ranger's words the night before. "I will not be able to protect you if this becomes known." Another "misleading" statement? Or had she meant that though she would try she *might* not be able to protect Aura? From what he could tell, she seemed to be doing a fair job of it so far.

"You do not know everything that has occurred here," Cestria said quietly, and the amusement was gone from her expression. "Even I do not understand it completely, but I do realize that you have been the victim of circumstances not entirely of your own choosing. For that, and for the result that you now face, I am sorry."

He frowned, struck by her apparent confirmation of Mark's suspicions. "What do you mean, 'not entirely of my own choosing'?"

She hesitated, and when she spoke again her tone was low, as though she thought someone else might overhear. "I mean only that if circumstances had been different, it is entirely possible that you and Aura could have escaped notice indefinitely. I can not tell you more now, but she may be able to in the future."

He gave her a sharp look. "In the future?"

Cestria tilted her head. "I told you I came for any messages you wished to relay," she reminded him, still speaking quietly. "I also bring you one from Aura."

When she didn't volunteer anything more, he tried to hide his impatience. "What is it?"

"She says only that she will see you again," Cestria replied. "But she wanted you to know that she swears by it."

He swallowed hard, caught speechless by the promise and not sure how to reply. If only he could see her, just once more... but she had said he would, hadn't she? He only had to have faith. And given that, there was only one thing he could say.

"Tell her I love her," he said softly. "And that I'll be waiting."

He watched the eerily Neptune-like image of Aquitar dwindle on the forward screen of the now Earth-bound transport. The spinning blue shimmer became a bright twinkle of light before fading into obscurity against the star-speckled heavens. His heart refused to accept that today might be the last time he saw it.

The transport leapt into hyperrush before clearing the edge of the system, and the familiar Aquitian constellations twisted and merged into phantom swirls of computer-generated color. He continued to stare at the screen anyway, not wanting to think about what lay behind him and not ready to face what waited up ahead. Instead he contented himself with staring into the oddly red-tinted swirls as the transport headed into the intergalactic void.

3. Keeping the Faith

He ducked under the metallic letters in the store-bought banner, dodging a balloon as someone batted it in his direction. It hit his brother instead, and the teen slapped it hard enough to send it drifting back the way it came. "Balloon wars!" he heard his brother declare, and he grinned to himself as he paused by the window.

The sky was darkening outside as the sun slowly withdrew from the horizon, marking the end of his eighteenth birthday. Or at least, the day's end--he had no doubt the party would continue for some time yet. Tomorrow was a school day, so he expected most of his friends to disappear early, but they hadn't even cut the cake yet and no one would leave without food.

He scanned the horizon, picking out Venus even in the bright glow of sunset. When he looked, he could see Jupiter sparkling faintly in the oncoming twilight as well. He stared at the planets for a long moment, aware that most people in the room behind him wouldn't know them from stars. But after that all too brief time on Aquitar last fall, it had seemed strange to know more about another solar system's planets than his own.

It wasn't just a matter of pride, either. Learning what he could about Earth's sky made him feel closer to the stars--closer, somehow, to what he had known during those few short months offplanet. *I'll find a way to get back up there,* he promised the sky, as he had almost every night since returning to Earth.

He heard the stereo start up behind him, and he turned away from the window before his musing could turn melancholy. He was supposed to be celebrating, after all--not just his birthday, but their approaching graduation. The AGHS senior class of '99 could count on one hand the number of weeks left before they were free.

"Fix your hat, man," Terrence advised, slapping a paper cone on top of Carlos' head. "You're it."

Carlos rolled his eyes, grabbing the party hat before it could fall. He should have been paying more attention. Scanning the room, he couldn't help but notice how studiously everyone was pretending not to ignore him without actually meeting his gaze. He wandered toward the stereo, his eye lighting on the Twister game that seemed to have started while he stared out the window.

"Uh-uh, no fair!" Jhoudar protested, as Carlos slapped the hat on his head. The boy in charge of the Twister spinner shook his head vehemently, tossing the hat to the floor and glaring up at his friend from under his untrimmed bangs. "No multi-gaming!"

"You're not playing, you're just spinning," Carlos informed him with a grin. "Sorry man."

Jhoudar sighed dramatically, glancing back at the game. "Hey, Karen," he said, his tone changing from petulant to smug in the space of a few seconds. "Come here for a second."

"Nice try, Spinner Boy," she retorted, blowing out a puff of air as a balloon drifted in her direction. The balloon bobbed slightly but didn't change course, and she reached up to bat it away. "Just put the hat on and call the colors."

He chuckled, watching Jhoudar tilt the spinner toward him so Karen wouldn't see him move it. "Red," he announced a smirk on his face.

TJ moved his right hand just as Karen shifted her weight to her left, and the stretch put her offbalance enough that his movement made her slip. "You're out!" Jhoudar crowed.

She rolled her eyes as she extracted herself from the group, stalking in his direction. "I'm spinning. Give me that."

"Why certainly," Jhoudar said pleasantly, springing to his feet as she approached. He offered her the spinner with one hand and reached out to place the hat on her head with the other. Karen ducked, grabbing the spinner and dancing back out of reach.

The sound of a noisemaker in his ear made Carlos jump, and he turned to see his brother grinning at him. "Music request?"

"Anything but this," he answered, and his brother laughed.

"Done. Hey, want to prove that it isn't the soccer ball that matters?"

Carlos gave him a suspicious look. "What are you talking about?"

Apparently the question meant "yes", for he found himself being dragged across the room toward the kitchen. "The doorway is the goal, see," his brother was explaining. "Liz says she keeps losing because crumpled wrapping paper isn't the same as a soccer ball, but I think Tessa's just a really good goalie. We need you to prove it for us."

"Either you suck or Aura's an incredible goalie!" Yarrow's remembered shout was an echo in his mind, and he shook it off as he sized up the "opposition". Tessa was a petite blonde girl, smaller than Aura and with more laughter than determination in her eyes. He grinned at her, tossing the ball of crumpled wrapping paper onto the ground and feinting to her left.

His brother cheered as the impromptu "ball" tumbled through the doorway to Tessa's right, and Carlos shrugged innocently. "It worked on--it always works," he amended, giving her as charming a look as he could manage.

"Hey, Carlos." He glanced over his shoulder in time to see TJ wink at Tessa before turning his attention back to him. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." Carlos gave Tessa a mock salute and turned to follow his friend.

TJ led the way toward the front door, and Carlos raised an eyebrow, wondering what the other could possibly have to say that was that private. But TJ stopped short of the door, next to the table where everyone had dropped their presents when they came in. TJ pointed, asking, "That look weird to you?"

"Not really," Carlos said, trying to figure out what the other could be up to. This had to be one of his practical jokes. "It is a birthday party, after all," he added, waiting patiently for the punchline.

"No, I mean that one." TJ pushed a festive bag out of his line of sight, revealing a small, dark box with an odd symbol on it.

Carlos felt his heart skip a beat. It was the Canthris design--the symbol of Aura's zord--underlined with crew markings. "That isn't funny, TJ," he said, narrowing his eyes and glaring at his friend. With the cloud of secrecy that had surrounded his return from Aquitar, TJ was the only one outside of his family who knew the real reason he had left the crew early.

"It wasn't me, man!" Even with his protest, TJ was careful to keep his voice low. "I just saw it there a few minutes ago."

Which left only one other person who would pull such an awful prank. "I don't care if he's my brother," Carlos muttered bitterly. "I'm going to kill him."

Standing so close to the door, he heard the plaintive meow despite the volume of the stereo, and he reached out absently to open the screen door and let Goof in. The solid black cat raised its tail in greeting, but refused to step through the door. "Come on, Goof," he said impatiently, tearing his eyes away from the small box and gesturing to the cat. "Come in here."

The cat turned in place, front feet dancing carefully over hind, but didn't come any closer. Carlos rolled his eyes, propping the door further open with the intent of picking Goof up and carrying him inside. But another shadow moved on the front porch as he stepped out, and he paused, surprised. He hadn't noticed anyone leave.

The dark-haired girl moved back as he looked up, her too-long jeans rolled up so that they didn't quite brush the ground. Her oversized blue t-shirt hung loose over her small frame, and for a half-second she looked breathtakingly familiar. Then her silver eyes caught his, and instant recognition made him gasp.

"Aura?!" It was the only thing he could get out as he stood there drinking in the sight of a woman he hadn't seen in far, far too long. His one coherent thought was that she looked eerily human there in the shadows, dressed in old clothes that she must have borrowed from her one human teammate.

"Happy birthday, Carlos," she whispered, staring up at him as he stepped closer.

He heard the screen door slam behind him as he let it go, but all he cared about was the breathless look of hope on her face. "Aura..." He reached up to stroke her cheek, running his fingers reverently across her temple and burying them in her hair. Night was the only time he had ever seen her wear it loose...

He could feel her breath on his face before he even realized how close they were, and when she closed her eyes he gave in to the almost overwhelming urge to kiss her. He pressed his lips to hers softly, knowing it wasn't just in fun anymore, and he fumbled for her hand as she slowly returned the kiss.

Her fingers slid through his and she squeezed his hand hard, leaning into him as he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. He broke their kiss in favor of hugging her closer, as though by holding on he could keep her from ever leaving. He ran his thumb over the inside of her wrist and he heard her whisper, "I missed you," in his ear.

"I missed you so much more," he whispered back, unable to believe that she was actually here. "I thought of you every night."

"So did I," she admitted. "It seems that Seidon's plan for me was less effective than he might have hoped."

He frowned, trying to make sense of that but not willing to let her go long enough to search her expression for answers. "What do you mean?"

"You remember the Aquitian liaison," she murmured, not making any effort to pull away either.

"Yeah..." He turned to kiss her hair, taking a deep breath of the cool, slightly humid scent that seemed to cling to her. She snuggled against him, and it was a feeling he thought he could have waited forever to experience even just once more.

"It seems he wanted me," she said frankly, quietly. "I did not recognize that until it was too late--he must have seen more of my feelings than I saw of his, for he took the first opportunity to eliminate the one person he considered a competitor for my affections."

He sensed more than she was saying in those words, and he wondered if the aftermath of his departure had been more complicated than he had suspected at the time. "What happened?" he asked, not sure he really cared if she was here with him again.

"Seidon was relieved of his position for misuse of authority," she replied, her soft tone sounding extremely satisfied. "And your good standing with the crew and with Aquitar was re-established."

"Even with..." He trailed off, remembering that morning after with vivid detail.

"That was never public knowledge," she whispered. "As far as the government is concerned, you were the victim of Seidon's manipulation, nothing more. Unfortunately, due to... underlying circumstances, it was not deemed acceptable to invite you back right away."

"Right away?" He finally drew back, leaving his hand in hers and his arm draped over her shoulders. "What do you mean?"

She lifted her face to his, gazing intently up at him. "As your name was cleared and your good standing as part of the crew is no longer in question, the same offer we extend to all exchange students has also been granted to you. That of employ and citizenship on Aquitar," she added, as though he might have forgotten the terms of the exchange. "Should you so choose."

He stared at her, disbelieving. His ticket back into space--back to her--had appeared like magic in front of him after all this time.

He swallowed, glancing down at their entwined fingers. He wanted to believe in this so much it hurt, but he couldn't without hearing her say what he had asked Cestria to tell her before he left last fall. "And... the underlying circumstances?" he asked, a little uncertainly. "How much have they changed?"

She looked down too, but she didn't answer immediately.

His heart sank. "I have to know, Aura," he whispered, brushing her hair over her shoulder gently. "I still love you. But as much as I miss you, I don't think I can follow you back if you don't feel the same way."

He was watching her when she looked up, and the tears glittering in her eyes took his breath away. "I love you more now than I did then," she said, almost inaudibly. "Please don't make me choose between you and my team. Not yet."

He stared at her, for the briefest moment startled beyond words. Then he shook his head, pulling her into a fierce embrace and trying not to take too much delight in her implication. "No," he murmured. "I would never do that, Aura. Never."

She hugged him back, and he wondered suddenly if he was about to wake up. His world had just been restored in less time than it had take Seidon to destroy it the year before, and for the first time he knew exactly what she had meant when she told him to have faith.

He heard someone clear their throat, and he turned his head slightly. TJ was watching them from the other side of the screen door, arms folded and his expression amused. The rest of Carlos' friends were gathered around the door too, good-naturedly jostling for a better view. Even as he looked in their direction, he heard someone whisper loudly, "What's going on now?"

He felt Aura giggle, and he soaked up the sound even as she buried her head against his shoulder. He grinned, waving at the screen door. "Hi, everyone. This is Aura. She'd say hello, but she's too busy laughing at you all right now."

She shoved him half-heartedly, and he laughed himself. He took a step back, keeping his arm around her shoulders as he steered her toward the door. TJ made no move to open it for them, instead catching his eye and asking, straight-faced, "Are you sure you want to come in? You seem to be having a pretty good time out there."

Carlos rolled his eyes, but he couldn't stop grinning as he held the door for Aura. "These are my sometimes-friends," he informed her, as she stepped tentatively into the house. "TJ, Tessa, Karen, Liz, Jhoudar..."

He named them all, then introduced her again, leaving off her Ranger title and referring to her only as "someone I met on the crew". She didn't correct him, confirming his suspicion that she had come out of uniform for a reason, and his friends welcomed her into their midst as thoroughly as he could have hoped.

He watched her smile gain strength as she realized that they were sincere, and he laughed when Jhoudar volunteered to explain the point of Twister to her. *Hey, Aura?* he thought, suddenly curious.

*Yes?* she replied immediately. That she had been listening for him suffused him with warmth, and he smiled contentedly to himself.

*Just checking,* he told her, knowing she would understand. When she glanced over her shoulder he saw that warmth reflected back at him in her eyes.

When they gathered around the table later, TJ had to explain to her the tradition of singing and candles. She waited with a tolerant expression while the others sang, and Carlos braced his hands on either side of the cake. He took a deep breath, winked at her, and determinedly blew out all of the candles.

When the others cheered, she cocked her head at him and inquired, "What was your wish?"

He tapped her on the nose reprovingly as he reached for the stack of plates. "Can't tell you," he told her. "Or it won't come true!"

He served the others buffet style, letting Aura have some of his in case she didn't like it. She tried one bite of birthday cake before shaking her head vehemently, and her expression of distaste was so exaggerated that he couldn't help but laugh. He insisted that she try the ice cream too, and he grinned when her eyes lit up at the first spoonful.

He allowed himself to be prodded into opening presents then, though he would much rather have sat and watched Aura eat her ice cream. She watched him tear off wrapping paper with as much interest as anyone else, despite the fact that she didn't know what half the gifts actually were. The small box with the zord symbol on it was the only one he missed, but when he looked curiously in her direction she just shook her head and he let it go. He couldn't ask more than getting back the life he had been committed to ever since he met her.

She was still there when the last of the guests left, and his brother shooed the two of them out onto the porch while he cleaned up. Carlos knew he was going to owe him for that, but he was undeniably grateful for the gesture.

As they stood in the dim glow of the porch light, beneath the starlit heavens, Aura tilted her head up and smiled. "It is beautiful to see them so clearly from the surface."

Carlos followed her gaze. "I think I've stared up at those stars every night since I came back," he said quietly. "Wondering about you... how you were, what you were doing..."

"Wondering about you," she answered, still looking up. "I wondered if you would really wait, despite what you told Cestria."

He smiled a little, looking over at her. "What happened to your faith?" he teased gently.

She lowered her gaze to meet his, and she smiled in return. "It has been restored," she replied. They stared at each other a moment longer, and then she held out her hand. "Whatever you decide about Aquitar, I would like you to have this."

The small box was in her hand, and he wondered when she had had the opportunity to palm it from the table. "Aura," he said slowly. "I've already decided." He looked up, right into her worried expression. "I'm coming to Aquitar. Not right away, not when I'm this close to graduating, but we made it this long..."

"I never expected you to leave tomorrow," she whispered. "As you have waited, I will also wait."

"Thank you," he murmured, reaching for her hand.

She pushed the box into his hand instead, turning her face away. "Open your present," she said softly.

He smiled and did as he was told. He pulled the cover off, not sure what to expect, and could only stare as he recognized the object inside. He glanced at the communicator on her wrist and then back at the one in the box before him. Lifting his gaze at last, he found her watching him again. "Aura..."

"A symbol of my team's approval," she said quietly, searching his face. "Do you--do you understand?"

He didn't entirely, but he did have some grasp of the fact that this wasn't the sort of thing that happened every day. "I'm honored," he told her, putting as much sincerity as he could into his tone and willing her to know that he meant it.

"I am pleased," she replied, her eyes sparkling happily at him. "Thank you... for waiting."

"I love you," he answered simply. "How could I not?"

This time when he reached for her hand she let him take it, and they twined their fingers together as the stars spun lazily across the sky overhead.

4. I Will

He was pouring himself some juice when he heard movement from the living room, and he glanced over his shoulder. Aura had spent the night on the foldout sofa, and she looked charmingly tousled as she turned her head toward the kitchen.

"Morning, sleepyhead," he said with a smile, setting the juice carton down and getting another glass. "Have any good dreams?"

"Mmm," she mumbled. She propped herself up against the back of the couch and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Some. Mostly involving you."

"Mostly?" he repeated, amused. He took the two pieces of toast from the toaster and retrieved a second plate. He hadn't been sure she would wake up before he left. "Is there someone else I should know about?"

When she didn't answer, he glanced into the living room. Aura wore a smug smile that turned into a laugh when she saw his expression. "One of them involved exiling Seidon from Aquitar for the rest of his natural life," she admitted. "I enjoyed that one."

He chuckled. "I think I would have liked that too. Are you hungry?"

She seemed to consider that. "Yes," she said at last. "I don't think I'm quite awake enough to tell you more than that, though."

"Here," he offered, picking up her juice and bringing it into the living room. "This'll help." She moved over a little, and he sat down next to her.

She accepted the glass and took a hesitant sip. She glared at him almost immediately, but her eyes danced as she accused, "This is terrible!"

He grinned at her expression. "I didn't say it was good; I said it would wake you up. Nothing like fruit sugar to get you going in the morning."

She shook her head, but she did try it again. "Should I bother asking what's in it?"

"It's like the crew's orange juice," he told her. "But it has strawberry in it, too. It's good; I don't know what's wrong with your sense of taste."

"I think it's yours that's in question," she muttered, taking another sip.

"You're still drinking it," he pointed out.

"Do as the locals do," she countered, her eyes sparkling at him over the rim of the glass. "What wish have I to offend your primitive customs?"

"Hey!" He reached out to take the glass, but she didn't let it go. "This primitive isn't impressed with your enlightened sense of tact!"

"Tact has never been my strongest area," she remarked, straight-faced.

"I've noticed that," he agreed. "Now drink your juice or give it up."

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" she demanded, lifting the glass to her lips again. "You may wait on me for the rest of the day if you wish, but if you're going to insult me you might as well be on your way."

He grinned at her tone. "Why, Ranger Aura, are you dismissing me?"

"Have you ever done anything you were told?" she countered with a smirk.

He reached out and touched the bridge of her nose, letting his thumb trace the violet accents under her eyes and down across her cheek. "I fell in love with you," he reminded her with a smile.

She looked down at the glass in her hands, then lifted her still-smug gaze to his again as she set it down on the table beside her. "I did not tell you to do that," she told him. "In fact, I suspect you were under implicit orders not to do such a thing, further proving my point."

Undeterred, he let his hand slide around her ear to smooth her flyaway hair against her neck. "I waited for you," he said more quietly, caressing her chin with his thumb while his fingers played with her hair.

The smirk on her face faded a little. "I did not tell you to do that, either."

He brushed her hair back and laid his hand gently on the nape of her neck. "You didn't have to," he murmured, drawing her near enough to kiss.

Her kiss was soft, warm, and sorely missed. He told himself it was ridiculous to miss something he'd known so briefly, but he did. He hadn't seen her since his birthday all those weeks ago, and since she'd arrived yesterday they hadn't had a moment alone. Until now, at least, and he yearned to make up for the time they'd lost.

More than that, though, he wanted some vision of the future. He wanted to see himself with her like this for a long time to come... but when he kissed her, more disturbing images kept surfacing. Maybe it was the dream she claimed to have had, or just the mention of the former Aquitian liaison's name, but he couldn't ignore them.

"Aura," he whispered reluctantly. "When we go back to Aquitar... things are going to get complicated, aren't they."

"No." She caught hold of his t-shirt and pulled him closer, opening her mouth to his with a fierceness that gave the lie to her words. She was worried too, and he didn't know why he hadn't noticed it earlier.

*You're lying,* he thought, not sure whether he meant her to hear or not.

*So?* she demanded. Her kiss was merciless, and he spared a moment to regret teaching her so well. That only brought memories of their one night together that much closer to the surface, and he suppressed them ruthlessly. If he let her win this, he would never get the answers he needed.

His hands found her shoulders and he pushed her away, staring into her silver gaze as though he could read her thoughts. "So don't tell me it hasn't occurred to you," he said. He tried to be stern, but his voice was too husky to be convincing. "If I come back with you--really with you--the whole world will know Seidon was right."

Her tone was as challenging as he'd meant his to be. "If you were having second thoughts, you might have mentioned it before now."

"Not for myself. For you." He shouldn't have said "if"; he had known that even before her eyes flashed. But it was too late to take it back now. "You said yourself you could lose everything if the government thought we were having an affair."

She looked away, and her next words took him completely by surprise. "The government knows," she said quietly. "No one fabricates something like that about a Ranger."

For a long moment, he had no idea what to say. Finally he managed, "But... you said--"

"I said there were underlying circumstances," she interrupted, shifting toward the edge of the bed and still not looking at him. "There were. The government will not acknowledge what actually happened, but imagine if you had returned earlier and we had been revealed a second time. Another transgression would have been--difficult to overlook."

"We could have kept it from happening again." He protested instinctively, but the look in her eyes when she glanced over at him was enough to silence him.

"Could we?" she asked simply.

Caught by the question in that gaze, he shook his heard wordlessly. "I suppose not," he allowed, when that didn't seem to be enough.

"So how is this any different?" he wanted to know, when her eyes finally released him. "If we're just confirming what Seidon accused us of last fall, why is it okay now when it wasn't then?"

She sighed a little. "In the spirit of your law, it is not so different," she admitted. "But the technicality of the law is all that concerns my government. Especially when public opinion finds your law somewhat... restrictive."

On Aquitar, one was considered an adult when one started schooling. The forgotten bit of knowledge found its way back to the surface of his thoughts, and he understood what she was saying. "No one cares that much?"

"There will be--some commotion," she said frankly. "When you take an apprenticeship in the Ranger Dome, it will become clear to everyone what occurred. But now that you have graduated, from the crew and from your own schooling, the terms of the exchange between our two planets have no legal bearing on our lives."

"'Our lives'," he repeated, feeling a smile steal across his face. "I like the sound of that."

There was an answering smile in her eyes when she reached out to touch his hand. "As do I."

The graduation ceremony was held that evening, in the open courtyard of Angel Grove High. The traditional location turned out to be more crowded than usual, if only because reporters and photographers filled every unoccupied space with equipment, questions, and an overwhelming demand for attention. The media circus that accompanied Aura's presence was like nothing the city had seen in years.

"Are you sure there is nothing more important they could be investigating?" Aura murmured in his ear as they clung to each other after the ceremony.

"Just be glad I convinced my parents to order in tonight," he whispered back. "Imagine being surrounded by this *and* my family at the same time."

"One good thing about your girlfriend!" His brother's shout penetrated the happy din around them, and Carlos let go of Aura reluctantly. "It's easy to find you!"

"What did I tell you?" Carlos said under his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her smile a little. She had taken an instant liking to his brother, which made him the single member of Carlos' family around whom she was completely at ease. Though his mother could make anyone comfortable, she and Aura didn't really operate on the same wavelength, and his dad was dependably tactless in her presence.

"Congratulations, bro!" His brother threw an arm around his shoulders and grinned at Aura. "You win. I'll get the pictures developed tomorrow."

Carlos looked from one to the other, confused. "What?"

His brother smirked, holding up his one-shot camera. "I bet Aura my film that she wouldn't get ten feet from the stands before being ambushed by reporters."

"The bet was on who would find you first," Aura corrected, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "I told him I was more motivated."

His brother shrugged. "Same thing," he said, dismissing the distinction with a wave of his hand. "She's a lot faster than I thought. Plus when she throws that hood up she blends in really well."

"Carlos Vargas," someone interrupted, thrusting himself into the conversation without apology. "How do you feel with a diploma in your hand and an alien girl on your arm?"

"Happy," Carlos said shortly, putting his arm around Aura's waist and pulling her away from the scribbling reporter without a second glance. "Let's get out of here."

"Not well enough," Aura murmured in his ear.

He hugged her as best he could, letting his brother steer them toward the front of the school. "It's not you," he said, angling away from another person with a pad and pencil. "It's them."

"The car's right over here." Even as his brother pointed, a microphone appeared out of nowhere and Carlos' eyes widened. A TV crew? Damn but they were fast.

"Carlos, you've just graduated from high school and you're in love with an alien," the too-smooth voice on a television reporter announced. "What are you going to do now?"

He opened his mouth to snap at her, but then thought the better of it. "I'm going to Water World," he told the reporter with a grin. He heard his brother's guffaw from the other side of the truck as Carlos held the passenger door for Aura and climbed in after her.

It was a strange feeling, leaving Earth behind for only the second time in his life. It was even stranger knowing that his friends would be starting their summer vacation the next day, while he woke up 2000 leagues under the sea. With Aura.

He shot a sideways glance at her and found her watching him as his planet receded into the starry backdrop of space. Her silver eyes were solemn, but her expression lightened a little when he smiled at her. "What are you thinking?" she wanted to know.

He couldn't resist teasing her. "You can't tell?"

She gave him a reproachful look. "Your thoughts are too confused," she said, as though it was his fault that she couldn't read his mind. "They are not coherent enough to separate from pure emotion."

"So you tried?" he said with a grin. "Isn't that just the definition of sneaky and improper."

"Why did you ask if you didn't want to know?" she retorted. "Isn't that the definition of manipulative and... and... annoying?"

He laughed at her irritation. "Better to know than to guess," he teased.

"That's not what you said when you asked what I was wearing to bed last night," she said with a smirk. "Is your imagination no longer up to the task?"

He thought about it for a moment, then finally shook his head. "Is there any way to get out of this without saying something you can torture me with later?"

For answer, she leaned forward and kissed him. He closed his eyes, letting the feeling wash over him, and she was smiling when they parted. "No," she said simply.

He chuckled, reaching for her hands. "Fair warning," he murmured, sliding his fingers between hers. "Anything else I should know?"

She let out a contented sigh as she squeezed his hands in return, her fingers dancing nimbly over his. "My teammates are throwing you a welcome party, if you can bear it after today's events."

He kissed her again, unable to resist the lazy look of pleasure on her face. "Anything, as long as you're there," he whispered. Her fingers slipped across his wrists, running into the communicator she'd given him, and he resisted the itch to strip it off. "Promise to kiss me in front of them?"

He felt her smile against his mouth as she eased further into his embrace. "Many times," she murmured.